


A Different Voice

by kyoties



Category: Naruto, Slayers - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Gen, Haruno Sakura-centric, Lina as Inner Sakura, Minor Haruno Sakura/Uzumaki Naruto, Multi, One-Sided Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke, Slayers!InNarutoUniverse, Strong Haruno Sakura, bamf sakura haruno
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-01-01 05:28:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18329561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyoties/pseuds/kyoties
Summary: What if Sakura's inner voice wasn't what she thought it was? Is Konoha ready for the rebirth of the beautiful genius sorceress? [AU, Slayers xover]





	1. Chapter 1: Prologue

### 

**♟**

> “nyctophilia - / _greek_ / Love of darkness or night; finding relaxation and comfort in the darkness. 
> 
> 1. 

Sakura had been aware of her 'Inner Sakura' for as long as she could remember. It had always been like an intensified reflection of her feelings. A little louder. A little more violent. Perhaps even a little more honest.

Pale morning light shown through the thin drapes of her window as Haruno Sakura sat up in bed. She moved the curtains aside for a brief moment to smile at the brightening sky; her second-story bedroom gave her a fairly obstruction-free view. Another new day and another chance for her to capture Uchiha Sasuke's heart. Jumping out of bed, she quickly picked out the perfect outfit to accentuate her good looks and went to take a shower.

After her shower, she made her way downstairs to her family's dining room for breakfast. Like a switch, the slightest thought of breakfast awoke her inner voice. _**Foooood,**_ it moaned.

Recently her inner self had been behaving oddly, or rather, oddly compared to how it normally behaved. She was not quite sure what to make of it but her outside self had gone through changes over the years as well so it did not worry her too much.

 _Is that all you have to say? Not even a simple 'good morning'?_ she grumbled internally.

_**Just getting our priorities straight.** _

_And food comes first?_

_**Of course!** _

Sakura sighed as she entered the dining room and tried to ignore Inner Sakura's continuing rant about the importance of regular meals. Her mother, Haruno Momoka, smiled at her. Sakura noticed her mother's eyes sparkling with delight. She nearly groaned aloud as she realized her mother was in one of her teasing moods.

"Finally awake?" the older woman asked.

Sakura glanced briefly at the clock on the wall. "It's not as if I'm close to being late. I still have two hours before lecture begins. More than enough time to eat breakfast and arrive on time."

Momoka raised an eyebrow at her daughter. "Unless I've set the clock back two hours," she said before exiting the dining room through the doorway leading to the kitchen.

The pink-haired girl huffed as she sat down and stared at the empty plate in front of her. When her mother entered the room again she spoke, "Father isn't up yet. And the sun was just rising when I woke. I know I didn't spend two hours taking a shower."

Her mother grinned at her and set a plate of pancakes in the middle of the table. "I'm sure you're right, dear." She ruffled Sakura's hair before flouncing out of the room once again.

 _Does she have to bounce around like that?_ Sakura thought in annoyance. Sakura tried to smooth out her hair. Her mother had displaced her hair ribbon, making it more difficult. Her nose twitched as the smell of the pancakes reached her. Inner Sakura wanted to pounce on the pancakes instantly.

Her mother returned a moment later depositing some silverware and a small pitcher of syrup on the table before leaving through a different doorway, likely to check on her father who had a bad habit of sleeping in.

Sakura picked up a fork and eyed the stack of pancakes, realizing just how many pancakes there were. _Does she think she's feeding an army?_

"Why did you cook so much?!" she yelled.

"You're a growing girl!" came the reply from somewhere upstairs.

 _There's twice as much as we'll eat!_ she complained mentally as she flipped several pancakes onto her plate. Her inner self rubbed its hands together in gleeful anticipation.

Several minutes later her mother reappeared. Momoka froze as she entered the room and stared in shock. Her face quickly resumed smiling and her lips twitched with barely restrained laughter. "I know I said that you were a growing girl, but isn't that a bit much?" she teased.

"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked.

Her mother simply pointed. Sakura followed her mother's gesture and saw that the entire stack of pancakes had disappeared. The syrup was nearly empty as well. The confused girl looked around the room, noting a distinct lack of fluffy, golden brown pancakes.

_**It was a good snack.** _

Sakura ignored the patently ridiculous response. She bent and looked under the table but still failed to find any trace of the missing food.

"You don't expect me to believe that they rolled out the door, do you?"

Her mother sighed dramatically and Sakura kept her head down to avoid looking at her mischievous face. She followed the sound of her mother's footsteps as Momoka crossed the room.

"I guess I'll have to cook some more for your father and myself. You aren't still hungry, are you?"

 _ **More?**_ her inner voice asked giddily.

"I'm going to the academy!" Sakura jumped from her chair and raced upstairs to get her book bag.

"This early?" she heard her mother question.

She quickly entered and exited her room, book bag now in hand. "I'll do some extra studying," Sakura replied as she ran back down the stairs and outside.

oOo

Sakura entered the classroom and noticed that her instructor, Umino Iruka, was sitting at his desk doing paperwork. Iruka looked up and gave her a brief smile before returning to his task. She sat down and pulled out one of her textbooks to do some extra reading. Luckily, Inner Sakura seemed to enjoy reading as much as she did so it made for a relaxing period.

Students began arriving but Sakura ignored them all until a certain black-haired boy appeared.

 _Sasuke-kun!_ The pink-haired girl followed Uchiha Sasuke with her eyes as her entered and walked to a seat. He did not appear to notice her attention as he sat down as far away from the other students as he could. _He's so handsome._ Sakura sighed as various romantic thoughts crossed her mind.

_**Maybe so but he's also arrogant, unfeeling, and power-hungry.** _

Sakura felt her left eye twitch. She frowned. For the first time that she was aware, her inner self had said something completely contradictory to what she was thinking. _He can't help it! He's had a tragic past!_ she argued.

_**If he gets turned into a chimeric half-demon, half-golem it'll be his own fault.** _

Now Sakura frowned for a completely different reason. She understood the substance of what her other self was saying but at the same time it had used words that she did not understand. _Chimeric? Golem? What are you talking about?_

Any further thoughts on the subject were interrupted by an overly energetic Uzumaki Naruto. "Sakura-chan! Good morning!" Sakura turned and stared balefully at the blond-haired boy. Apparently taking the silence as encouragement, he continued, "Can I sit next to you!"

"No! Go away, Naruto!"

Naruto pouted briefly before looking for another place to sit. He ended up next to the other loud boy in their class and the two started yelling greetings at each other.

_I wish he would bother some other girl. He's so loud and annoying!_

_**Not to mention cute, loyal, and brave.** _

For a moment all of Sakura's mental processes stopped. Her eye twitched again. _I did_ _ **not**_ _just think that._ Sakura decided that she could no longer abide her inner voice stating such ridiculousness. _There is nothing about Naruto that I like. He's an obnoxious bubblehead._

 _ **Yup! A complete jellyfish-for-brains!**_ came the happy agreement.

Aggravated beyond reasoning, Sakura began banging her head on the desk in front of her. She did not noticed her friend and rival Yamanaka Ino arrive and take a seat next to her until Ino said, "I don't think that banging your head like that is going to make your forehead any smaller."

The pink-haired _kunoichi_ stopped her masochistic efforts and glared at the blond.

"Someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?"

Snarling, Sakura reached out to strangle the girl next to her and she suddenly found her right arm around the other girl's neck and her left hand gripping her right. Ino struggled futilely against her choke hold.

"Gah… just… ack… a joke, Sakura," the blonde-haired girl gasped out.

Sakura released her hold and the blonde sat back while rubbing her neck.

"When did you get so fast?" Ino asked.

Sakura just shrugged, not knowing what to say. Iruka began calling names for attendance. Once finished, he announced that the class would be practicing _Henge no Jutsu_ today. Sakura ignored the questioning glances that Ino kept sending her way. While waiting for her name to be called to demonstrate in front of the class, part of her was reviewing the necessary steps for the transformation technique. Another part of her was doodling on some note paper.

When she would find it the next day, she would not understand where it came from.

The drawing had the look of a diagram. At the top a large circle with a stylized sun in the middle. Below the circle was a six pointed star. Below that star a series of four circles set in a diamond formation. In the middle of those circles was another six-sided star. Each of the four circles had two smaller concentric circles within them. In the center of the bottom-most circle, an eye had been drawn. And beside that circle was a single word: 'Shabranigdo.'

When she would find it the next day, she would shudder a little on reading that word.

End of Prologue

oOo

**(Old)Notes:**

**_Bold_ \+ _Italics_  = _Inner Sakura/Lina Inverse_**

_Italics **=** Sakurathinking_

I can't believe it. I accidentally deleted this whole thing and had to rewrite it. Parts of it are better but still. **Arg.**

Ok, if you've seen Slayers you probably have a good idea of **some** of what's going on. If not then you'll just wait a bit.

Before people start complaining about how 'Inner Sakura' thinks of Naruto and Sasuke (like why would she think that Naruto is brave at this point?), I'll say that she's a bit confused right now.

Momoka – written as 'peach tree' and 'flower'

I dislike inventing original names and techniques since I know nothing about Japanese but I try my best.

**Omake:**

_Does she think she's feeding an army?_

_**Yeah, an army of one!** _

(I just couldn't convince myself to put that in the actual text. Hehe.)

 


	2. A New Team and an Old Voice!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aside from a couple of different actions and dialogue things are very different. However this will diverge from my last version of this story in the next chapter. I planned on adding new characters, new personality’s and lots of different actions and events. I felt like my last version could of been, more au and could of changed Sakura’s personality just a bit.

Sakura was nervous for two reasons. First, today was the day that the new graduates would be split into genin teams. Second, Inner Sakura felt like a coiled snake waiting to strike.

The past few weeks gave her plenty of reason to be nervous if her inner self felt like that. She tried to avoid thinking about it but she had come to the realization that her inner voice was taking control at times. It seemed to last for only a few seconds at the most but it still managed to get her into some awkward situations. She was learning to be more careful; the voice seemed to be able to take control only when her emotions were running high. And when she was eating.

 _I am not going crazy,_ she told herself for the twentieth time.

_**Of course not.** _

The response did little to comfort her. She certainly did not consider her inner voice to be an impartial judge on the matter. All in all, she thought it was an explosive situation. She was nervous and worried about her inner voice taking control and that caused her nervousness to increase even more.

Sakura took several deep, calming breaths before entering the classroom. She quickly spotted the object of her affection. Unfortunately there was an obstacle in her path.

"Move it, Naruto! I want to sit on the other side!" Sakura concentrated on keeping control. She did not want Inner Sakura to do something embarrassing right in front of both Sasuke and Naruto. Her inner self readily admitted that Sasuke was handsome and that Naruto was an idiot but it also seemed to enjoy mocking her opinions about the two boys in every way possible.

Naruto did not move, instead he turned to glare at Sasuke. Sakura got tired of waiting and pushed him out of the way. "Sasuke-kun! Can I sit next to you?" she asked in her cutest voice. Sasuke did not respond but she sat down and slowly inched closer to him.

 _ **Sitting between two cute boys? Good choice!**_ Inner Sakura gave her a thumbs up.

Sakura frowned slightly, wondering whether it would be worth getting into another internal debate about Naruto's 'cuteness.' She was distracted by Naruto leaping onto the desk in front of Sasuke.

Already annoyed by Naruto's presence, Sakura quickly began yelling at him, "Naruto! Get out of Sasuke-kun's face!"

Some of the other female students began cheering Sasuke on as well, wanting to see him beat up the class annoyance. But the whole class fell silent when another boy forced the blond into a kiss with the raven-haired boy.

 _ **Hahahahaha!**_ echoed through Sakura's mind as her inner voice collapsed with laughter.

It took every bit of control Sakura had to not start laughing out loud. The actions of both Naruto and her own inner voice were irritating her. So when the internal laughter died down she turned to take out her aggravation on the easiest target: Naruto, who was still making exaggerated gagging noises. "Naruto, you're annoying," Sakura growled and threw a punch at his head.

Then she found herself seated again between Naruto and Sasuke. Shifting her gaze between the two boys she noticed Naruto rubbing a small lump on top of his head.

 _ **And people call me violent,**_ her inner voice muttered.

Sakura grimaced as she realized that she had once again been taken over by her inner self. _What did you do?_

 _ **Nothing except sit us down.**_ The voice rolled its eyes.

The nonchalant reply increased Sakura's annoyance. _Stop doing stuff with my body! It's mine!_

_**Sheesh, chill out already.** _

_Chill out?! That's easy for you to say; you're not the one that's going insane!_ Sakura knew that arguing with her inner self in such as way did not make much sense but the circumstances were beginning to unnerve her. _Just be quiet and stay where you belong!_

The voice in her head grumbled faintly but Sakura was distracted by Iruka reading the list of new teams.

"Team seven: Haruno Sakura…"

Sakura, both outside and inside, perked up and listened intently as she wondered whom she would be paired with.

"Uzumaki Naruto…"

Sakura grimaced at the thought of the annoying blond being on the same team. Next to her Naruto jumped up and whooped in celebration.

_**There's worse things than working with someone who likes you.** _

_Shut up!_ she snarled back.

"And Uchiha Sasuke."

"Bwahahahaha!" Sakura slapped a hand over her mouth but it was too late. The burst of laughter left everyone in the room – including Sasuke and Naruto – staring at her.

_Damn it! You're embarrassing me!_

_**Those two… the kiss… a team… hahaha…** _

Sakura slumped in her seat and tried to ignore the mental laughter.

Iruka cleared his throat to get the class' attention but Naruto interrupted before he could continue reading the team members.

"Hey, hey! Why does a great ninja like me have to be in the same group as that loser?!" Naruto pointed at Sasuke.

"Naruto," Iruka began, switching to his 'lecture' voice, "Sasuke was ranked first in the entire graduating class. You, on the other hand, were dead last. You were placed together to balance the teams."

At that point Sasuke spoke for the first time that day. "Try not to get in my way, Dead Last."

"What did you call me?!"

Sakura glared at Naruto as another staring match started between Sasuke and Naruto. Not wanting any more attention after her outburst of laughter she chose to stay quiet.

Iruka ignored the two and soon finished with the list of teams. "You will meet your team leaders this afternoon. You're free until then."

Naruto ran from the room grinning and chuckling which made Sakura wonder what kind of prank he was planning. Sasuke also quickly left the room in an attempt to avoid the female students. Sakura began to follow but before she could leave the room, Ino grabbed her arm. "Getting Sasuke-kun on your team might be cause for celebration – after all you need all the help you can get – but what was with the maniacal laughter?"

"That wasn't my fault!" Sakura replied before she considered her answer completely.

Ino raised one fair eyebrow. "Oh? Then whose fault was it?"

 _It's all your fault!_ she mentally cried at her other self. "Never mind," she muttered.

Ino looked at her with concern clear on her face. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Didn't know you cared, Ino-pig," Sakura spat.

The blonde frowned at her and released her arm. "Fine. Be that way, Forehead Girl."

Ino left the room and after a few moments Sakura did as well, leaving in search of a place to eat lunch.

oOo

Sakura stared at the large _bento_ in her hands. The box had multiple tiers, each filled to the full with food. It held rice, pieces of grilled fish, skewers of meat, various picked vegetables, rice balls, an omelette, and even a bowl of soup. It had taken her almost an entire day to cook everything. She continued to stare at the package. This might be it. Her last chance. Her last hope. Her inner self salivated.

_Okay, I let you eat this and you stay quiet for the rest of the day. Agreed?_

_**Sure thing! Whatever you say!**_ Even if it was all in her head the amount of drool was disgusting.

Sakura had cooked the food with the thought of using it as a distraction at some point, now her hope was to meet their new sensei while in complete command of herself. She sighed as she released control to her other self.

She was back in control a few minutes later. All of the food that she had painstakingly crafted was gone. Not even a single grain of rice remaining.

 _What did you do? Lick it clean?_ she thought in revulsion. Her inner self did not reply but a feeling of deep satisfaction radiated from it.

Sakura sat the empty boxes next to her on the bench. After all the attempts she had made to get Sasuke to notice her he was finally on her team. He had even looked directly at her for a few seconds today which was a first. Unfortunately that had occurred after her uncontrolled laughter which could not have made a good impression. Sakura rested her chin in her hands as her thoughts focused on her embarrassment.

She was roused from her contemplation by footsteps. Looking up she found Sasuke approaching her with a light smile on his face. His black eyes met her green eyes and Sakura found herself blushing.

"You have such a charming forehead. Makes me want to kiss it."

Sakura nearly gaped at the handsome boy, unable to respond. _Is this for real?_ she wondered. Her inner voice was unusually quiet, however, apparently abiding by their earlier agreement.

The pink-haired girl felt a huge grin start to form but Sasuke continued, "Sounds like something Naruto would say, doesn't it?" Her grin was crushed before it could form and her blush vanished as Sakura felt disappointment surge.

The young Uchiha sat next to her. He looked away from her and his smile turned into a more neutral expression. "There's something I want to ask you."

Sakura examined the boy sitting beside her. He appeared to be nervous for some reason but his posture was much more relaxed than normal. "What is it?" she asked curiously.

"What do you think of Naruto?" Sasuke looked at her as he asked the question but Sakura looked away this time as she felt her anger stir.

The question that the raven-haired shinobi asked had to be the most unexpected that Sakura could imagine. _We're sitting here alone and he wants to talk about_ _ **Naruto**_ The hyperactive wannabe-ninja was the last thing that she wanted to be thinking about at the moment. Inner Sakura was still quiet but Sakura could feel it smirking which fed her anger.

"He's annoying, always getting in my way," she said, venting her irritation. "He doesn't understand me." Sakura turned back and looked Sasuke in the eyes. He looked even more nervous than before. All thoughts of Naruto disappeared from her mind as she stared at her crush. "All I want is to be acknowledged by you." This last statement seemed to cause his nervousness to vanish and his expression turned to one of shock. "I'll do anything for that purpose." Sasuke's expression was difficult for her to read but his eyes were full of emotion making her blush again, more heavily this time. _He's looking at me so warmly. It's time to act!_ She inched closer to him. "Because I like you." Sakura closer her eyes and leaned forward for a kiss.

Even with her eyes closed, Sakura could tell that Sasuke's lips were approaching hers. Her heart beat more quickly. After a few more seconds, though, she felt him move away. Sakura opened her eyes and saw that Sasuke was holding his stomach. He stood up and said, "I'll… be back…"

Sakura felt some disappointment as she watched the boy dash away but her thoughts quickly turned positive. _He's shyer than I thought he would be. That's so cute!_ Sakura heard a mental snort. Her inner voice was a jumble of emotions; amusement at something warred with a small amount of scorn that seemed to be directed at Sakura herself. The kunoichi focused her attention away from her other self.

When Sasuke returned a minute later, Sakura bounced up from the bench and approached him. "Are you ready now, Sasuke-kun?" She felt like squealing with glee as she gave him a bright smile.

The black-haired boy glanced at her for a brief moment before asking, "Where's Naruto? It's time to meet our instructor."

Sakura frowned. All of her success at getting Sasuke to open up had disappeared while he was gone. _He's talking about Naruto again!_ All of her anger returned in an instant. "Who cares about Naruto? All he does is get into fights with you."

Sasuke still looked to be ignoring her; he continued to turn his head as if searching for something.

Seeing that he was not paying attention to her, Sakura felt even more frustrated. She found it easier to continue her rant than to switch topics. "Of course, he hasn't had a normal childhood. No parents to scold him." Sasuke's movement had stopped but Sakura missed the fact. "He's so lucky, able to do whatever he wants."

"Being alone…" Sasuke's words came as a surprise to Sakura. He was still not looking in her direction as he said, "The pain of having your parents yell at you doesn't approach that."

The cold tone that he spoke with sent a shiver through her. "Wh-what?" she asked in confusion.

Sasuke finally turned in her direction. His eyes met hers but this time they were different. They did not hold their earlier warmth or even his normal cold disinterest. He glared at her with a contemptuous iciness. "You're annoying," he said before walking away.

Sakura stood in shock. The simple comment from the boy she liked made her feel a misery unlike she had experienced before.

_**Idiot.** _

The comment from her inner voice did not make her feel better but it did let her start thinking again, wondering how things had degraded so quickly. She knew that Sasuke had lost his parents but most of the time it did not cross her mind when she tried to interact with him. _I wasn't thinking about his feelings,_ she realized which caused her to wince.

 _ **How often do we consider anyone's feelings?**_ Inner Sakura asked, sounding sad and subdued.

The thought sent a spike of pain through her heart. Sakura immediately thought of Naruto, whom she yelled at every time he tried to talk to her and how she had called him 'annoying' countless times to his face.

 _Is this how Naruto felt?_ she wondered. She whispered to herself, "Maybe I can try to be nicer to him." Her steps felt heavy as she walked back to the academy.

oOo

Sakura fidgeted slightly. The jounin instructor for team seven was over two hours late and she was getting tired of sitting still. Sasuke seemed patient enough but Naruto was pacing and grumbling. Sakura's inner voice was being quiet again after its bitter comment.

The situation made her uncomfortable. She simply was not used to sitting still with nothing to do and no one to talk to. Most of the time she could keep her mind occupied but her thoughts kept drifting to her conversation with Sasuke which she was trying to avoid thinking about. The early conversation also prevented her from speaking with either of the boys in the room. Her inner voice would usually distract her in such situations but it appeared to be trying to follow their agreement. She frowned as she realized the direction her thoughts were taking her. _I'm not feeling lonely, nope, not at all,_ she told herself. _Not having to worry about you causing problems is for the best_. The other part of her mind remained silent.

A few more minutes went by. Naruto paced, Sasuke sat as still as a statue, and Sakura tried not to squirm.

Naruto suddenly snickered. Sakura watched as he grabbed a chalkboard eraser.

Her reticence briefly warred with her curiosity but curiosity quickly won and she asked, "What are you doing?"

The blond-haired boy laughed as he wedged the eraser at the top of the door. "That's what he gets for being late!"

"Is that how you want to be introduced to our new sensei?"

Naruto did not answer Sakura's question but snickered some more as he moved away from the doorway.

Sasuke made a disapproving sound and said, "Do you really think a jounin is going to fall for such a simple trap?"

His question was answered a moment later when a tall silver-haired man opened the door and entered the room. The eraser hit his head and created a small cloud of chalk.

Naruto started laughing. "That's what you get!" he taunted the jounin.

"Sorry, sensei. Naruto like to play pranks," Sakura said as she blushed slightly in embarrassment.

Sasuke simply stared at the man.

The man rubbed his chin in thought. "My first impression is… I don't like you." The young ninja made no response aside from giving him slight glares. "Meet me on the roof," he ordered before making a seal and vanishing in a swirl of leaves.

oOo

When they arrived on the roof, the jounin told them to sit down and introduce themselves.

"What sort of introduction do you want?" Sakura asked him.

"Oh, you know. Likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, hobbies… Those kinds of things," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. His visible eye had a disinterested look to it.

 _Is this guy really reliable?_ she asked herself.

"Wait a minute!" Naruto began in a loud voice. "What about you? Why don't you introduce yourself?"

"Yeah," Sakura agreed. "You're kind of suspicious."

The man continued to look apathetic. "Hm? Me? Well… My name is Hatake Kakashi. I'm not going to tell you my likes or dislikes. As for dreams? I don't know… I have a lot of hobbies."

The three genin looked at each other. Sakura felt her eyebrow twitch from slight annoyance. "So all we learned was his name?"

"Okay, now it's your turn," Kakashi said.

"Me first! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! What I like is ramen! I like ramen that Iruka-sensei buys me at Ichiraku even more! What I dislike is waiting three minutes for ramen to cook!"

 _Is ramen all he thinks about?_ Sakura wondered. She felt a vague approval coming from her inner voice.

"My dream is to become Hokage and have everyone in the village acknowledge me!"

 _From dead last to Hokage? He's definitely dreaming._ Sakura realized how negative she was being toward Naruto once again and decided to never tell him what she thought about his dream. She could tell that Inner Sakura approved of his ambition, however.

"My hobby is pranks, I guess."

Kakashi looked at Naruto for a few more seconds before saying, "Alright, then. Next."

Sasuke was sitting next to Naruto. Sakura noticed him frown briefly before he began speaking. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I don't like many things but there are a lot of things I dislike."

 _Great, his introduction is sounding like Kakashi-sensei's._ Sakura blinked as she realized that she was now thinking critically about her crush. She shook her head and tried to throw the thought away.

"I wouldn't call it a dream… but I have an ambition: to resurrect my clan and to kill a certain man."

 _Wow!_ The young shinobi's declaration impressed her greatly. Her inner voice let out a faint snort but did not say anything.

Sakura noticed their new trainer staring at Sasuke. For a moment, his gaze was more intent than it had been when he was watching Naruto. His apathy returned and she questioned whether she had actually seen it. "And finally, the girl."

Sakura took a deep breath before she began speaking. So far, her inner self had been relatively quiet since lunch. Her nervousness had died down a lot and she felt fairly confident that it would not interfere. The introductions would all be over in a minute and she would be able to relax.

"My name is Haruno Sakura," she started and gave Kakashi a small smile that he did not react to. "What I like… or should I say who I like…" Thinking of Sasuke she blushed, looked away, and let out a giggle. "What I don't like is… _Mazoku_!" The last word seemed to leap from her mouth. _Evil race? What the hell?_ "Er… evil people, I mean." Her face now turned red for a completely different reason. _What are you making me say?_

_**Sorry, but that wasn't my doing.** _

_I don't even know what that term means,_ she mentally argued. _But I bet you do! You've been using a bunch of strange words!_

_**You're still doing your introduction, you realize.** _

That thought startled her out of her mental haranguing. The boys were looking at her, Naruto had a confused expression and Sasuke was unreadable as usual. Kakashi's eyebrow had raised a small amount.

Sakura's confidence was gone and she started stumbling through the remainder of the introduction. "Er… my hobby… no, I mean… my dream…"

"Is to become the number-one beautiful genius sorcerous kunoichi!"

Sakura's jaw dropped as she realized that the words had come from her mouth. Her inner self was laughing heartily. _**Now that was me.**_

 _You!_ she snarled mentally, not able to find an appropriate insult for what she was currently feeling. All of her plans had been for naught and Inner Sakura had embarrassed her in the worst way.

"Alright! Go, Sakura-chan!" she heard Naruto shout. She looked at him. His happy grin reminded her of when he spoke about becoming Hokage. She glanced at Kakashi, noticing that he was giving her a very piercing look. Finally, she turned toward Sasuke, fearing what his expression would be. He did not look disgusted or derisive or anything else that her mind had imagined. He did look faintly confused but mostly she had the impression that he was reevaluating her.

Kakashi cleared his throat to get their attention. His eye had regained its lazy look. "Alright, tomorrow we begin our duties."

Sakura was silent as Kakashi began describing the 'true' genin test; Naruto yelled at the silver-haired man after every revelation. Her mind kept drifting to the reaction of the other members of her team to her proclaimed dream. Naruto's reaction was understandable enough. The blond enjoyed such grandiose statements. Sasuke, on the other hand, was more difficult to read. She had made him angry earlier and now she had done something that probably caused him to change his image of her. The question was whether it was for the better or worse. _I guess I'll just have to wait and see._

 _ **Aren't you going to thank me for getting his attention?**_ her inner voice asked teasingly.

Sakura ignored it. Kakashi handed each of them a page with details after telling them to not eat breakfast. Sakura read the document Kakashi had given her intently. _Sasuke is sure to pass. I have to work hard to stay with him!_

The jounin's eye crinkled up happily as he said, "Don't be late." Leaves spun around his body and he disappeared.

The three young ninja were left to prepare.

oOo

The next morning Team Seven arrived at the training grounds at 9 AM. Naruto made his typical enthusiastic greeting and Sakura, still stinging slightly from Sasuke's words the previous day, returned the greeting – but at a normal volume. She made her own greeting to Sasuke which drew a grunt from the moody boy. The two boys glanced at each other briefly before turning away and ignoring each other's presence.

After waiting ten minutes, Sakura began to realize that their sensei would be late again. Inner Sakura began to whine about the lack of breakfast for the hundredth time but she continued to ignore the voice.

Naruto began pacing. After thirty minutes, he switched to jogging around in circles. Another half hour passed and he was bouncing all around the clearing that the training area was centered around.

Sakura shook her head. She was sitting on the ground, conserving her energy for the upcoming 'survival training' test. Sasuke was acting similarly, leaning against a tree.

_**How long are you going to ignore me?** _

That was the first non-food related thought from her inner self this morning. Sakura frowned, trying to decide whether to answer it or not. Naruto ran by her and into the trees. She wondered how he expected to do well on the test if he tired himself out before it even began.

_**Well?** _

Sakura sighed and replied, _I don't want to talk to you. You didn't follow our agreement yesterday!_

_**You were blaming me for something I didn't do!** _

Sakura grumbled a bit out loud. She did not notice Sasuke's attention divert to her for a few moments before he returned to watching their blond teammate run around.

_Okay, I'll take your word for it. This time! What is a 'Mazoku' anyway?_

Her inner voice was silent for several seconds but Sakura could tell that it was deciding what to say. _**Mazoku are a race of powerful demons,**_ it finally answered.

 _Demons? Like the Tailed Beasts?_ she questioned.

 _ **Tailed Beasts?**_ came the puzzled response.

Sakura frowned, wondering how her inner self could not know what a _Bijuu_ was. _You know, like the Kyuubi. The demon fox that attacked twelve years ago._

Inner Sakura began mumbling to itself. Sakura heard it repeat 'Kyuubi' several times but could not make out anything else.

Naruto returned and sat down next to her. He was out of breath and sweating heavily, causing Sakura to sigh at his state. Several minutes later, however, Naruto was looking as fresh as when he first arrived. Sakura noticed that Sasuke was also studying the blond.

Two hours after the appointed time, their errant sensei arrived with a casual, "Hey, there. Good morning!"

"You're late!" yelled Sakura and Naruto.

Kakashi sat a timer on one of the stumps. "Okay, here's the deal. This timer is set for noon." He held up two small golden bells tied to strings. "If you want to eat lunch, you have to take a bell from me before the alarm goes off. I'll tie anyone who doesn't get a bell to one of these stumps. And I'll eat my lunch in front of you."

The three twelve-year olds felt their stomachs contract at his announcement.

 _So skipping breakfast was a trick,_ grumbled Sakura.

 _ **We'll definitely get a bell!**_ her inner voice enthused.

"Of course there are only two bells, so at least one of you will get tied up. Additionally, if you don't get a bell, you'll be sent back to the academy. At least one of you will fail this test."

The members of Team Seven gulped at that.

"Come at me with everything you have. Including shuriken. If you don't try to your hardest to kill me you won't get anywhere."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah! You're too slow to dodge a blackboard eraser!" Naruto stated with a smirk. "You'll get killed instantly!"

Kakashi eyed the blond lazily. "The dog that barks the loudest is often the weakest. Well, I'll just ignore Dead Last here. Start when I say-"

Naruto snarled and drew a kunai. He prepared to throw it but his target was behind him in an instant and had twisted his arm so that the kunai was pointed at the back of his head.

"Calm down. I haven't said 'begin' yet," the jounin said.

 _ **He's fast!**_ exclaimed Inner Sakura.

 _I couldn't even see him move,_ Sakura agreed.

Kakashi's voice hinted at a smile as he spoke, "At least you're ready to try to kill me. You've decided to acknowledge me? Good, I'm starting to like you as well."

Sakura felt a trickle of sweat slide down her face as she realized how difficult their sensei was going to make the test. _This won't be easy._ Her inner self grinned in anticipation.

"Seems like you're ready. So… Begin!"

Two of the ninja jumped away in blurs.

Sakura peeked out from her hiding place and watched as Naruto attempted to take Kakashi head on. _Idiot,_ she mentally commented. Kakashi easily avoided or blocked Naruto's taijutsu attacks.

_**Watch him closely. We need to find a weakness.** _

Kakashi moved himself behind the younger ninja in an instant, dodging Naruto's fist. His hands were clasped together, his little book between his palms, and Sakura thought that he had decided to go on the attack.

 _Is that the Tiger hand seal?_ she asked herself, looking at his hands carefully. _What's he going to do?_

His younger opponent obviously did not even know where the jounin had gone, leaving him completely unprepared for whatever attack Kakashi was planning.

"Naruto! Behind you!" she called out in warning.

"Too late!" Kakashi said before shouting the name of his attack. " **Konohagakure Hiden: Taijutsu Ougi: Sennen Goroshi!** "

' _Thousand years of death?' That's not a ninjutsu,_ she thought with annoyance. The strength that the jounin demonstrated as the ass poke sent Naruto flying was discouraging, making it even more obvious that the more experienced ninja was playing around.

_**You should move. Kakashi knows where we are now.** _

Sakura winced as she realized that she had given away her location. She quickly, and as silently as she could, dashed through the bushes to another location. She returned to watching the clearing just in time to see Naruto catch Kakashi from behind as several other Naruto clones closed in. Watching carefully, she noticed how water dripped from the clones and how their feet flattened grass as they moved. _Solid bunshin?_ That was a technique she had never seen or heard of before.

 _ **Interesting,**_ her inner voice commented.

Naruto's attempt was impressive until he actually tried to connect with Kakashi. A simple _Kawarimi no Jutsu_ foiled the whole effort. Sakura winced in sympathy as Naruto realized that he had beaten up himself.

_**He's trying to beat up Kakashi more than he's trying to get a bell. That will never work.** _

_I need to find Sasuke-kun._ Sakura left her hiding spot and darted through the trees and brush, attempting to circle the clearing in hopes of finding the black-haired ninja.

 _ **Sasuke?**_ Inner Sakura asked. _**Why?**_

_If anyone can help me get a bell, it's Sasuke-kun!_

Her inner voice grumbled a bit but admitted, _**It's better than just sitting there doing nothing like you were.**_

 _You saw what happened to Naruto!_ Sakura knew that Naruto was not the best at taijutsu but Kakashi had easily handled nine solid clones of the blond ninja at the same time. There was no way that her standard academy techniques would prove much use in a fight against the silver-haired man. _What am I supposed to do against a jounin?_ she complained. As if her thoughts had summoned him, Sakura suddenly spotted the older ninja standing beneath a tree. She quickly slowed her pace and hid behind a bush. He still had his orange book in hand and his attention appeared to be focused on it but Sakura was not fooled and she watched him carefully, trying to find a way around him.

 _ **A very interesting question. I'd blind him with a Lighting and then cut the bells' strings with a weak Flare Arrow,**_ advised her inner self.

"Raitingu?" she whispered. _Is that Eigo? What sort of jutsu are those?_

Before she got a response, a voice whispered, "Behind you."

Startled, Sakura spun around. She caught a glimpse of Kakashi then leaves spun around her and the whole world seemed to spin with them. Then Kakashi was gone, he was no longer behind her nor beneath the tree where she had first seen him.

Sufficiently surprised, she asked aloud, "What was that? Where did he go?"

 _ **Something doesn't feel right.**_ For some reason the words from Inner Sakura were muted and she had difficult focusing on them.

"Sakura," she heard a recognizable voice call.

"Sasuke-kun!" she exclaimed and moved toward the source. She found Sasuke but the black-haired boy was missing part of his left arm and his body was riddled with shuriken and kunai.

 _ **It's an illusion!**_ The warning from her other self seemed to come from a long distance.

Sakura screamed.

 _ **Not that I've ever had much success at breaking illusions,**_ was the last thing she heard before fainting.

oOo

She awoke in a forest. She felt a bit dizzy at first but the feeling quickly passed and she stood up. "Gourry?" she called, "Where are you?" No response came so she picked a random direction and began walking. Her balance seemed off for some reason, as if her legs were suddenly a different length.

"Zel? Amelia?"

She reached up to scratch her head but her hand encountered a piece of metal. This drew her attention to her clothes in general. She picked at the material for a moment. She did not think the clothes were bad looking but they certainly were not what she normally wore. Much more disturbing was the fact that her Demon Blood Talismans were missing.

She began walking faster, looking for anything recognizable. She finally came to a small clearing and saw a peculiar sight. The black-haired boy from her odd dreams had been buried in the ground and only his head was visible.

Her worries flew from her mind as she dropped to her knees, pointed her finger at the boy, and began laughing. He scowled at her and she could tell that he was struggling to get out of his entrapment. "Sakura!" he snapped at her which caused her to fall silent.

"Sa-Sakura?" she echoed. Various thoughts flew through her mind. Her eyes widened and she gasped before falling unconscious.

oOo

Sakura felt something nudge the side of her body. She did not feel like waking up but the nudge became more insistent. Opening her eyes, the first thing that she noticed was that she was not in her bedroom. A few puffy clouds dotted the blue sky and the sun hung almost directly overhead.

The pink-haired girl was surprised to find Sasuke standing over her. He looked at her with his typical expression except for a slight narrowing of his eyes.

Sakura was relieved to find him in perfect health. "Sasuke-kun!" she began but he interrupted her before she could say any more.

"Why were you laughing?" he asked and she could hear a bit of anger in his voice.

The question shocked her and she blurted out, "Laughing?" An idea formed in her mind and she furiously thought to her other self, _What did you do now?_

Her mind felt strangely empty, though, and she somehow knew that a response would not be coming.

Sweating as the boy continued to watch her, she desperately sought for some way to answer him. "Ka-Kakashi-sensei used a genjutsu on me."

"So he said," was Sasuke's reply.

"I… I don't really remember anything after that." Sakura gave a short laugh from her nervousness.

Sasuke grunted and began walking away.

Sakura opened her mouth to say something and promptly closed it again. _Something goes wrong every time I talk to him,_ she complained internally. She felt her heart clench as she watched him walk away. "Sorry!"

Sasuke stopped and turned to face her.

"I'm sorry," she started again, "for what I said yesterday. And for laughing at you. Even if I don't remember it." The last sentence came out barely audible.

As Sasuke looked at her she once again had the impression that the dark-haired boy was reassessing her. Finally, he gave her a nod before turning away. "I'm going to go get a bell now."

Just then the two heard the ringing of Kakashi's alarm, causing Sasuke to swear. They made their way back to the clearing where Kakashi was waiting. He had already tied Naruto to one of the stumps. Their sensei's expression was typically blank as he considered them.

"Well, you look hungry but I have something to tell you first," the jounin stated. The three young ninja looked at him; Sakura's face showed her slightly curiosity and Naruto's frustration. "None of you need to go back to the academy."

 _What? That was all we needed to do?_ Sakura halfway expected a response but her mind retained the empty feeling.

Naruto cheered at the top of his lungs. "Yes! All three of us!"

Kakashi's eye creased upward as he said, "That's right. All three of you should stop being ninja."

Sakura froze in dismay at the words. Sasuke glared at the tall man. Naruto went silent and gaped for an instant before he yelled, "What do you mean? We didn't get the bells but why should we quit?!"

Kakashi sighed and shook his head slightly. "Because none of you are worthy of being called ninja."

Sasuke made a slight growling sound and charged the jounin only to end up face down with Kakashi sitting on top of him.

"You've just proven my point," Kakashi commented as he pushed Sasuke's head down with his foot. "Aren't you underestimating me? Do none of you understand the answer to this test?"

_Naruto tried a direct attack and I got ambushed. Sasuke must have tried to get a bell but he failed also. Kakashi-sensei is suggesting that we're all going about the test the wrong way._

"What do you mean?!" Naruto shouted with frustration evident in his voice.

Sakura asked more calmly, "What is the answer then?"

"It's teamwork," Kakashi answered with an exasperated tone.

"Teamwork? But there are only two bells."

"Naturally. This test is designed to see if you can set aside your differences and self interests to work toward a common goal. It's a common test for teams with problematic members."

"'Problematic?' Us?" the pink-haired girl questioned. _Why he would use that description for us?_

"Sakura, you were only thinking about Sasuke when you didn't even know where he was. You ignored Naruto who was right in front of you. Naruto, you were acting completely on your own. And Sasuke, you assumed that the others would just get in your way."

Sakura wondered if the odd jounin had been eavesdropping on their class when Iruka announced the teams. His earlier usage of 'Dead Last' and his sharp comment to Sasuke indicated so. That or he had some very detailed reports from Iruka. Either way, Kakashi showed that he had done a more thorough job of investigating them than his lazy manner initially suggested.

 _He's probably seen how I reject Naruto and how Sasuke-kun ignores both of us most of the time,_ she thought uncomfortably.

"Teamwork is crucial in real world situations. You will be assigned missions as a team. Individual skill is important but a team is expected to become greater than the sum of its parts. Not taking your partners into consideration will end in mission failure or worse. For instance…" Kakashi quickly removed a kunai from his belt pouch and held it to Sasuke's neck. "Sakura! Kill Naruto or Sasuke dies!"

Sakura gazed at the man in horror as Naruto struggled against his bindings and shouted, "Nooo!"

"Acting alone can get yourself or even your teammates killed because you will be together in life-and-death situations." Kakashi removed the kunai from Sasuke's throat and stood up. Naruto and Sakura both sighed with relief as he walked to the stone monument. "Carved on this stone are the names of ninja who have been recognized as heroes."

Naruto's face lit up with joy and he shouted, "I want to be acknowledged as a hero too! I'll get my name written on there!"

"But this is a memorial for the heroes who died in the line of duty."

Sakura glanced at Naruto and saw him blanch. His smile faded into a sad expression. She noticed that the silver-haired jounin also had Sasuke's attention. _He certainly enjoys being dramatic,_ she thought with some amusement. Considering how well he had pointed out her own shortcomings, she had to admit that his technique was effective though.

"My best friend's name is on here," Kakashi added. Somehow the simple statement made it seem all the more real to the three young ninja. The names on the memorial stone were real persons with friends and family. Even Naruto was affected by the realization and his frown became a pained grimace.

Kakashi turned back to the three would-be genin. His visible eye held a fierce look as he said, "I'll give you one more chance after lunch. I warn you now that I won't go as easy on you this time. If you want to attempt to take the bells again then you can eat lunch but Naruto doesn't get any food."

"What?!" came the instant complaint from the blond.

"It's your punishment for trying to eat by yourself," he was told. Looking at Sakura and Sasuke he said, "If you give him any food then you all fail. Remember, I make the rules here." Kakashi disappeared after his final warning.

"I'm fine!" Naruto declared. "I don't need any food! I'll kick his ass anyway!" Naruto's stomach let out a loud rumble.

Sakura and Sasuke sat down and began eating the lunches that Kakashi had provided. Sakura once again noticed the unusual absence of her inner self. It was especially strange to not hear Inner Sakura during a meal. She heard Naruto's stomach continue to growl as she picked at her food half-heartedly.

 _Even if all three of us work together how can we get a bell from a jounin? He has an overwhelming amount of skill._ She felt particularly disappointed in how she had fared during the test. She was lost in her own thoughts and did not immediately notice when Sasuke shoved his half-eaten lunchbox toward their blond-haired teammate.

"Eat," Sasuke ordered. Naruto looked at him in astonishment. Sakura mirrored him as she realized Sasuke's intentions.

 _He's going to break Kakashi-sensei's order?!_ Sakura felt incredulous. "Sasuke-kun!" she objected, "Kakashi-sensei said-"

"Don't worry, I don't sense him," the young Uchiha interrupted. "Naruto needs to eat, otherwise he'll be useless. If we're going to work together to get the bells we all need to be ready."

Sakura wondered if she should follow Sasuke's example. Naruto was probably the hungriest considering how active he had been. _I guess I can't even blame him for running around before the test; that's how he's always been,_ she ruefully reflected. Her own hunger had been diminished from worry and disappointment.

When she handed the remainder of her lunch to Naruto, the surprise on his face was even greater than before. _He's more surprised by the girl he likes treating him nicely than the boy he thinks of as his rival doing the same._ The thought was ironic enough to be worthy of her inner voice but it was all her own.

Naruto's expression became a happy grin.

A large burst of smoke heralded Kakashi's return. His sudden appearance caused all three to flinch and Sakura stumbled backward. Scowling at them the silver-haired jounin yelled, "You three!" His furious expression caused Sakura to shriek in fear. "Pass!" In an instant his demeanor shifted to an obviously happy grin, visible even with his ever-present mask.

"Huh?" Sakura managed to ask, too stunned to form a coherent question.

"You pass," Kakashi repeated.

"We do? Why?" the emerald-eyed girl asked. Naruto's face echoed her own confusion. Sasuke was watching the jounin with suspicion.

"You're the first team to pass," Kakashi commented. "The others unthinkingly followed my instructions. Remember, a ninja must 'see underneath the underneath.'" He paused for a moment, either to let his words sink in or to consider what he would say next. "Those who break the rules and regulations are called trash in the ninja world. But more importantly, those who don't care for their companions are worse than trash."

Naruto gazed at Kakashi in awe and Sasuke made a derogatory sound. Sakura smiled a bit as she thought, _He really wants to emphasize teamwork._

Kakashi continued to grin down at newly certified genin. "So the training ends," he said. "Tomorrow, Team Seven begins its duties."

Sakura's smile increased and she whooped in celebration.

oOo

That night Sakura tossed in her bed, trying to find a comfortable position. Her stress had accumulated over the last two days and even the victory over Kakashi's tricks had not done much to make it disappear. The insights she had gained about her interactions with others was what was truly bothering her.

 _I have to admit it,_ she griped internally. _I actually miss 'Inner Sakura.'_ It was liberating to have someone to talk to who knew all of your secrets.

Suddenly, the odd emptiness that she had been feeling in her mind vanished. Sakura smiled and heaved a relaxing breath. _Welcome back,_ she thought. _What happened to you?_

There was no response for a minute. Finally, her inner voice responding by saying, _**My name is Lina.**_

Sakura sat up in bed, blinking in shock. She felt a cold chill run down her spine. _Wh-what?_

 _ **My name is Lina,**_ it said again in the same calm tone.

Sakura felt a trickle of fear and her heart began beating more quickly. _What do you mean your name is 'Lina?' Why do you have a name at all?_

 _ **Because my parents gave it to me,**_ 'Lina' replied blandly.

The pink-haired girl laughed a bit but not from any humor. _You're insane. Or rather, I am. I really do have multiple personalities._ Her fear was no long a trickle, it was a flood racing through her.

_**I don't think that's it, exactly.** _

_Oh, you don't, do you? I'm talking to a voice in my head that causes me to do things that I don't want to do!_

_**Just calm down for a minute,**_ Lina said patiently.

Sakura felt her hands shake as she tightly gripped her bedcovers. _Calm down?! I don't want to calm down! I want you go away!_

_**But-** _

_No! Go away!_ she mentally screamed.

The empty feeling returned as Lina went away again.

Sakura had been aware of her 'Inner Sakura' for as long as she could remember. It had always been like an intensified reflection of her feelings. A little louder. A little more violent. Perhaps even a little more honest.

But now she knew it was not 'Inner Sakura.' It had its own name. It was not a part of her. It was not her at all. Now it was something completely alien and it scared her greatly.

Sakura did not sleep well that night. When she finally fell asleep, nightmares of her losing all control of her body drove her awake once more.

End of Chapter 1

oOo

**Notes:**

Ug, parts of this chapter were annoying to write. Too much repetition of content. Part of that did help me get a better understanding of Sakura, I think, so that's good. To write the story the way I want, changes have to start small. And most of the changes right now are internal. Don't expect that to last though. /grin

In Slayers spell names are in English, invented nonsense, or a mix. Only the chants are in Japanese.

 _bento_ – lunchbox  
_Mazoku_ – strongest hierarchy of demons in Slayers terminology, unfortunately translated as 'Monsters' by Software Sculptors  
_Eigo_ – English language

 _Konohagakure Hiden: Taijutsu Ougi: Sennen Goroshi_ – Hidden Leaf Secret: Taijutsu Supreme Technique: Thousand Years of Death

**Author's Note:**

> Almost a decade since I updated, life’s been extremely hectic for these last 10 years and I’ve decided to jumpstart this story. It’s been a long time and I’ve gotta a lot of catching up to do, when it comes to the manga and anime. The ending of Naruto was kinda disappointing, for such an amazing start it kinda went downhill. Besides that I’m back and hopefully finish this story~


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